New survey shows 60% Irish favor legalizing abortion

A new survey shows that 60 percent of Irish under-35s are in favor of legalizing abortion in Ireland.

The numbers are a huge jump from a similar poll in 2007 where just 43 percent of those polled favored legalizing abortion. And the numbers are even larger than the same poll in 2005 where just 36 percent favored legalizing abortion.

Abortion is one of the few issues that the north and south of Ireland agree on and is banned in both places. Accordingly, the overwhelming majority of Irish women who wish to avail of abortion have to travel to Britain.

The sex survey also found that 25 percent of Irish women experienced at least one unplanned pregancy while just 14 percent of men said they did.

Dr Stephanie O'Keefe, from the Irish health service's Crisis Pregnancy Program, explained the discrepancy by saying that some men may not have known their partner was pregnant.

The survey, which was carried out for the Irish Examiner, found that almost 10 per cent of those polled had been in a relationship where an abortion took place.